**Basic Information about the Book**
Title: The Bar Code Tattoo
Author: Suzanne Weyn
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.,
Copyright Date: September, 2004
Number of Pages: 250
Geared towards...
Who should read this?
The average age group is anywhere from advanced 6th graders to about a highschool junior or senior (as a no-stress, easy read)
Language: No obscenities, slang, etc.
Violence Level: Little to none
**Characters, Setting, and Theme**
1) Kayla Reed - A 17 year old girl who refuses to receive the bar code tattoo. Kayla is a member of DECODE, a tattoo resistance group.
Mfumbe - A 17 year old boy, also a member of DECODE.
Zeakeal - A 18 year old boy. He lives on his own, without parental guidance. The creator and head of DECODE.
2) The main setting of the story is in the United States. The year is 2025. You can draw many connections between Kayla's world and our current world. Despite advanced technology, a slight differ in government, and an over powering company presumably controlling all of America's goods, the world Kayla resides in is very similar to ours.
3) The main theme of this novel, in my opinion, is conformity V.s individuality.
**The Plot**
Don`t worry, I didn't give the ending away!
It's 2025 and Kayla Reed is just on the verge of turning 17. Most teens can`t wait to turn 17, because that`s the age to get THE best thing on earth; The bar code tattoo! Yet, Kayla is not so sure. After her father commits suicide, though, she decides against the tattoo. Citizens are committing suicide and doing outrageous things to remove the tattoo, and Kayla begins to suspect that there is more to the tattoo than meets the eye of the consumer. A name, age, and blood type couldn't possibly be a motive to kill yourself!
When Kayla`s best, let alone only friend, Amber, gets the tattoo, Amber`s family is thrown into turmoil and are forced to leave town. After Amber leaves, Kayla is befriended by a resister group, called DECODE. Kayla starts to deeply emerge herself into their missions, and continues to search for answers.
Global-1 is gaining control over society, and has passed a law that makes the bar code tattoo a law. Kayla is finding it increasingly hard to survive. If you try and pay with a card, everyone throws a fit, and since cash has been obsolete since 2013, it`s the card or the code. No exceptions!
The code has seemingly gotten to her mother, and when her mother is finally driven over the edge; It`s time for Kayla to flee, for her life. Kayla packs up, and heads out on her journey to the Adirondack Mountains, where the code isn't law, yet. Kayla also wants to meet up with Eutonah, who is an avid code resister. Eutonah also teaches embrace of the earth and your own self power, and Kayla is eager to learn. During Kayla`s long journey to the mountains and Eutonah, she is actively being hunted down by Global-1 and Tattoo Gen. While making her way to the mountains, she discovers Mfumbee, a previous friend and member of DECODE. She discovers that she isn't the only one running away, and isn't the only one who has lost all hope of abolishing the tattoo.
Question to think about...
Would you get the bar code, knowing what they contain?
**Reviewer Opinions**
My opinion, Best & Worst, and who to recommend it to
1) My opinion of the book, personally, was a favorable one. I really liked the book. It`s theme was very powerful, and was a problem a majority of us face at one point in our lives or another. Even though the conformity issue was magnified in the book, all of us experience an issue like this. The author's style of writing was third-person limited. I personally liked the way the author wrote the story. It was nice to know Kayla`s story, and had it not been written knowing Kayla's point of view, you would not have gotten her story, or at least not as in-depth, as well as her thoughts and reactions.
2) I think the best part of the book is when Kayla finally finds Eutonah. I think this was uplifting. I suppose that the thought of finding your savior when you have lost all of your hope is a uplifting thought, which is why I think I chose this as the best part of the book. The worst part of the book, emotionally, was when Kayla goes through the tragic death of her mother. Kayla attempts to stop it and in the interim of this, she burns off her hair and suffers from a slew of burns.
3) Another literary work that reminds me of this novel is Frank Hubert's "Dune" series, a science fiction book packed with political themes and messages, just like The Bar Code Tattoo.
4) I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in political science fiction. The author has a very interesting concept that she has wrapped the book around, and it really reels you in! You just don`t want to put it down! Anyone looking for an intriguing read should read The Bar Code Tattoo!
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